Too Much Heat
by strawberry-x
Summary: After yet another argument over wages, Ryou goes to his room to let the baka strawberry calm down. But what happens when the catgirl gets too much sun on this hot summers day?My first fanfic ]
1. Another Argument

Hey! This is my first Fanfic so please R&R with constructive criticises! Okay, the story is set after the defeat of Deep Blue and I have decided to ignore A La Mode. It is set four years later and the ages are as follows:

Ichigo: 16  
Mint: 16  
Lettuce: 17  
Zakuro: 18  
Pudding: 14  
Ryou: 19  
Keiichiro: 25

Ryou shall be doing the disclaimer today!

Ryou: Why?  
Me: Because otherwise I get sued.  
Ryou: And I'm bothered because...?  
Me: Because then I get my laptop taken away and cannot write anymore  
Ryou: sighs Fine, she does not own Tokyo Mew Mew, she's not smart enough.  
Me: -.- grrrr

-x-

"RYOU!" Ah yes, it was the unmistakable cry of Ichigo Momoiya, just after being told she would not be getting a raise. Ryou stood in front of the red faced, eyes burning, wild looking 16 year old, and all he could do was smile slightly at the fact that for four years she had been asking for a raise, yet she was still trying. Had she not realised yet? He gave a small sigh and shook his head, "Just get back to work Strawberry and maybe we can talk about this later." With that he turned and walked up the stairs and to his room. It was not until Ichigo heard his bedroom door snap shut that she let out the breath she had been holding. She turned to the others, all of whom quickly pretended to be busy with setting the cafe up before it opened in half an hours time.

The day went as usual. Pudding tried to entertain the customers with acts that in any normal cafe would have the person fired, Lettuce smashed some more plates, Zakuro just kept to herself and managed the till while Mint sat at her chosen table and drank tea and Ichigo did the majority of the work. It was a very warm day. The girls were meant to be enjoying their summer vacations and many people had visited the cafe in the hopes of some shade and a cool glass of lemonade. Once closing time came the girls sighed in relief and quickly got to work on cleaning and then on getting home for a rest. No one had seem to notice that Ichigo had slowed down. She had sat herself at a table by a window and was doing nothing but staring into space. The heat had got to her more then the others and she was not feeling too good. One by one the girls left until only Ichigo was left. Upstairs, Ryou looked at his clock and decided to venture downstairs. Either Ichigo would be waiting to talk about her raise or she would have forgotten, either way, he would make sure he didn't have to pay out.

As he entered the main part of the cafe he looked around and spotted Ichigo at the same table as when the mews had left, not that he knew this, he just thought she was waiting for him. Sighing and thinking of a way to brush her off, he walked forward, "Hey, Strawberry, not gone home yet?" She looked up at him briefly and shook her head, "No, I was waiting for you." She didn't tell him that her head at that moment was spinning like a roundabout. He sat in the chair opposite her and smirked, "Well I am sorry Strawberry, but I cant give you a raise because if I did, I would have to give all of you girls one and that just is not fair as the others don't deserve one really." She looked at him briefly and glared, "Just give me one then." She mumbled. He frowned slightly, she wasn't raising her voice, or hitting him or anything. He watched as she stood up and swayed slightly. In a sec he was by her side, "Ichigo, what's wrong?" He said this more forcefully then worriedly. She shook her head slightly, "Nothing, don't fuss Shirogane." She walked past him and headed to the changing room, hoping to get changed and get home. As she reached the door however, she felt her legs go to jelly and felt herself falling, "Ryou.." She whispered as a pair of strong arms caught her before she hit the floor.

-x-

Yeah, its a bit of a short chapter, but it gets the beginning over with. I think that It shall be a two or three chapter story.

Please review and give me some advice for future stories and maybe some ideas for the next chapter?

strawberry-x


	2. Watching Over Her

Heya! This is my first fanfic so please R&R with constructive critisism! Okay, the story is set after the defeat of Deep Blue and I have decided to ignore A La Mode. It is set four years later and the ages are as follows:  
Ichigo: 16  
Mint: 16  
Lettuce: 17  
Zakuro: 18  
Pudding: 14  
Ryou: 19  
Keiichiro: 25

Pudding shall be doing the disclaimer today!

Pudding: Can I show you a trick?  
Me: Maybe later.  
Pudding: Awww, but I want to show you one now!  
Me: Can you make sure that the mean lawyers dont come hunting for me first?  
Pudding: Oh, okay she dosent own Tokyo Mew Mew!  
Me: Thank you.  
Pudding: Now can I show you my trick?

-x-

As soon as he saw her pause by the door to the changing room he knew something was up. He didn't know why, maybe just how she stood? It didn't matter though. As soon as he saw her sway he was walking quickly towards her, a few strides and he was there, just in time to catch her as she fell backwards. He heard her whisper his name as he did so and shook his head slightly, "Baka." He whispered as he picked her up bridal style. He was about to head to the kitchen to key Keiichiro to help when he remembered that his friend had gone out for the night, something about a cake convention? Well whatever it was, Ryou was alone with a passed out Ichigo. Shaking his head once more, he headed to the stairs and up to his room.

He laid her down on his bed. The room was bare but because of it's location, it didn't get as much sun and so was cooler then the rest of the building. He pulled a chair to the side of his bed and sat down, hands folded and findling in his lap (A/N: its what i do when I'm nervous or upset), his eyes watching for a sign of her coming back round, but none were showing. Getting up, he headed to the bathroom and ran the cold water. Once sure that the clothe he found was cold enough, he walked back and laid it gently on her forehead and once again sat down to watch her. She laid quite still and just looked like she was in a deep sleep. As he moved a strand of red hair from her closed eyes, he shook his head and ran his hand through his own blonde hair. What would he do? He was a jerk to her, he rarely gave her any slack, yet every so often he couldn't help himself, he would have to help her. He didn't know why, but just the thought of her being hurt made his heart ache and gave him the urge to protect her. He had just out this down to the fact he knew he was responsible for her, he had made her a Mew, yet lately he had been wondering if maybe it was something more. He glanced at the clock, i 7.30pm /i . He got up and went to the phone, he would have to contact her parents.

After explaining that their daughter had fallen ill after work and that it would not be wise for her to be moved, they had consented to allow her to stay at the cafe for the night. By the time he had finished talking to them and making himself a late dinner, it was nearing 8pm. Heading back to his room, he found Ichigo in the same position that he had left her in. He glared at her slightly and mumbled something about her being a baka to not think to take some breaks in the cooler parts of the cafe, before sitting back down and starting to watch over her once more, searching for a sign of life in her limp body, trying to ignore the fact his mind kept wandering to why he was so protective over her.

That night, Keiichiro walked upstairs and noticed Ryou's door was open. Being around 2am now, he thought this a little unusual. Taking a look inside, he smiled at the sight which greeted him. Ichigo, still passed out was on Ryou's bed, with him asleep in the chair next to her, his hand in hers and small smile on his face. With a small laugh, he closed the door and headed down to the lab to do a quick, pre-bedtime scan.

-x-

Second chapter done, one more to go! Again, short, but I think I prefer them short then long lol

R&R

strawberry-x 


	3. Maybe

Heya! This is my first fanfic so please R&R with constructive critisism! Okay, the story is set after the defeat of Deep Blue and I have decided to ignore A La Mode. It is set four years later and the ages are as follows:

Ichigo: 16  
Mint: 16  
Lettuce: 17  
Zakuro: 18  
Pudding: 14  
Ryou: 19  
Keiichiro: 25

Mint shall be doing the disclaimer today!

Me: Mint, could you possibly help me with the disclaimer?  
Mint: Hmmm, well I am in the middle of my tea break, can I do it later?  
Me: No, I am afraid not.  
Mint: Well then, sorry but I cannot.  
Me: (takes tea pot away and hides it) Do the disclaimer of I will swap your tea for some cheap instant coffee.  
Mint: o.0 Fine fine! She does not own Tokyo Mew Mew!  
Me: Good girl! (hands the tea back)

-x-

A warm beam of sunlight rested on the sleeping girl. A small mumble escaped her lips as she turned over, trying to go back to sleep. The sunlight and chirping birds however, made this quite difficult. Shaking her head slightly, she sat up and opened her eyes. A look of confusion crossed her face. She was still in her work uniform and she was not in her room. Looking around she realised who's room it was and that the person it belonged to was asleep in the chair next to her. Her eyes widened and a scream was let out. The older teen jumped from his sleeping position and looked around, his eyes finally resting on Ichigo, "What was that for? You could have woken the dead with that scream!" He glared at her before continuing, "So how are you feeling today?" She looked at him confused, "I screamed because I woke up to find myself in your room, duh!" She rolled her eyes, "I feel fine, why shouldn't I?" She raised a brow questioningly. He frowned at her, "You don't remember then?" A brief shake of her head confirmed this. He sighed tiredly, "You got too much sun yesterday and got sun stroke (A/N: i got this in Cyprus last year. Horrible!), you fainted and I thought it would be best to keep you here rather then moving you." She frowned slightly but nodded, she didn't remember any of what he had just said, but it sounded plausible. Getting off the bed, Ryou showed her where the bathroom was, there was no point in her going home now, it was already 10am. She was about to head downstairs when she heard Ryou call her name. Turning, she tilted her head slightly, "Yes?" He gave a small smile, "You don't have to work today, get some rest instead." She raised a brow but thanked him gratefully and decided that she would spend the day doing some summer homework.

Once Ichigo was finished in the bathroom, she ran down to the changing rooms to get her stuff, she still had her clothes from yesterday. Once changed, she took some paper that lay by Ryou's computer and found a pen. She then headed down to the lab where Ryou had said she could use the computers to help her and as he would take her place in the cafe, she would be alone. She was grateful to him. He rarely showed kindness to her, but when he did it was enough to let her know that he wasn't really a bad person or a jerk, no matter how many times she told him he was. She was just beginning her homework when she heard the others Mews come in and she could just about hear Ryou explaining what had happened the day before, and that he would be taking Ichigo's place for the day. At the thought of him having to be polite and finally seeing how much work she has to do, she smirked and continued with her homework.

The echos of farewell reached her ears as the Mews left for the evening. She had finished her homework a while ago and had since enjoyed herself by browsing the net for random things. She did however, find out some more information about the cat who's DNA she shared. Deciding she would go upstairs a little later, she continued with her game of tetris she was now playing on the computer. Meanwhile, a tired and annoyed Ryou made his way to his bedroom. What a day! He was so tired and his mouth hurt from smiling so much. Laying down on his bed, he was asleep within minutes, dreams of Ichigo filled his slumber though, a topic he had now become worried about. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about her.

About an hour later, Ichigo made her way to the main part of the cafe. No one seemed to be around. Deciding to check Ryou's room, she made her way quietly up the stairs. As she pushed his door open, she couldn't help but smile at the sight that lay before her. A sleeping Ryou was curled up on his bed, much like a cat, his blonde hair was hanging in front of his closed eyes. His deep breathing told her that he was asleep. She walked to him and moved a loose strand of hair. He looked so peaceful when he slept. The mask that he wore during the day had fallen away, and what was left was a vulnerable and lonely young man. She smiled slightly as she lent down and placed a small kiss on his forehead. As she stood up and turned to leave, she was stunned to find that something was holding her back. Turning around, she saw that Ryou was now awake, his hand was closed around her wrist. A confused look on his face, "What was that for?" He asked her. A small blush crept onto her face, "Well, you just seemed so peaceful, and..and..Well, you looked sad when you were asleep." He frowned slightly before pulling her back to the bed and making her sit on the edge of the bed, next to him. She looked at him, curious, "What?" He looked at her seriously, "How do you do it?" It was her turn to look confused, "Do what?" He let go of her wrist and smiled slightly, "Work in the cafe? Mint does nothing but drink tea, Zakuro scares people, Lettuce needs to be insured because she's a danger to herself and Pudding is going to hurt someone one day. How do you handle it?" She laughed, "Practise." That was all she said before standing up and walking to the door. As she was about to leave, she turned back to him, a smirk on her face, it did not suit her, "Can I have a raise now?" She laughed as he threw a pillow at her as she closed the door.

Ryou couldn't help but smile, but after seeing what she had to go through most days, maybe he would have to consider giving her a raise. He laid back down on his bed, still tired, and drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Ichigo and how maybe things would be different from now on. Outside, a smiling cat girl was still leaning against the door. She didn't know why she was smiling, but maybe, she thought, it had something to do with the fluttering feeling that she had felt when Ryou had held her wrist, and the idea that he cared enough about her to look after her when she was ill. Maybe.

-x-

Thats it! I know it didn't end with them getting together, but I think it's a sweet ending. It does however, introduce things for the sequel I am thinking of writing.

Please R&R and let me know if you think a sequel would be a good idea, thanks

strawberry-x


End file.
